Maksym V. Vyshniak (Vyshnia)

22-year-old senior soldier Maxim Vyshnyak (call sign Vyshnya) was killed on June 4, 2022, while performing a combat mission in the vicinity of the village of Nyrkove in the Luhansk region. The defender sustained fatal injuries as a result of enemy shelling from Grad systems. Maxim was born and lived in the city of Boyarka, Kyiv region. He completed 9 grades at the local School No. 3 and obtained a qualification as a automotive mechanic at the Kyiv Center for Vocational and Technical Education. Since 2017, he worked as a dispatcher at LLC "Metal Furniture," then as a sales consultant at the "House" chain. From 2018 to 2021, he served under contract in the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Zaporizhians. He participated in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO). In December 2021, he resigned and returned to his former job in Boyarka, where he worked as a locksmith-assembler. From the first days of the full-scale war, Vyshnya joined the ranks of the local territorial defense. Later, he rejoined his comrades in his native 72nd Brigade. He served as the deputy commander of a combat vehicle — a gunner-operator. Maxim's unit participated in fierce battles for Ukraine. “I have been proud of my son since the moment he decided to serve under contract at the age of 19. It was his first serious manly decision, and it was hard for me to come to terms with it, but I supported my son. Over the years of service, his military family became very important to him, so when he once again decided not to wait for his deployment to the front line but took the initiative to be the first, I supported him again. With a heavy heart, but I supported him, because I saw that his soul was with his comrades. I am proud of my Hero! I believe that his brothers-in-arms will surely avenge him and all the fallen. My Hero will always be in our hearts and our memory,” said his mother, Nina. Maxim Vyshnyak was buried at the Alley of Glory in his hometown. He is survived by his parents, a brother, and a beloved girlfriend.